Pittman pleased with product through 12 spring practices
Arkansas now has 12 spring practices finished up with three more to go — the last being Saturday's Red-White spring game at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville.
To this point, head coach Sam Pittman said he has been pleased with the product of his team, which features plenty of new faces and new coaches.
Arkansas lost 25 scholarship players to the transfer portal from the start of the season to the end of the transfer cycle, and it brought in 11 scholarship transfers, nine of which have participated this spring. The team also added 20 scholarship freshmen, 12 of which have been able to participate in the spring practices.
Pittman also had to replace a significant portion of his staff, as he brought on new offensive coordinator Dan Enos, tight ends coach Morgan Turner, defensive coordinator Travis Williams, co-defensive coordinator Marcus Woodson and secondary coach Deron Wilson.
"I’ve really been pleased with my new coaches," Pittman said Tuesday. "I think to a man we’ve gotten better...We need to keep everybody on the team. Everybody on the team is going to have some value to us, but everybody on the team has to get better.
"I think we have liked our new schematics that we’ve done offensively and defensively. I think our new guys coming in have … the players have accepted them well. Again, if you went back and said ‘Can we be at this point after the end of our last regular season game?’ I do think winning the bowl had something to do with a little bit of life back in the program."
Pittman said the changes made to the staff and the team have been positive for the Razorbacks, and it's led to a solid product on the field to this point.
"I’m really pleased with what we’ve gotten done in 12 practices," Pittman said. "It’s been a very physical 12 practices but I’m really pleased with what we’ve gotten done."
After going 9-4 with an Outback Bowl victory over Penn State in the 2021 season, Pittman's Razorbacks saw a drop-off with a 7-6 performance capped off by a Liberty Bowl win over Kansas in 2022. He told reporters Tuesday that he thinks the culture and overall health of the program is as good now as it was in 2021.
"I think our strength coach (Ben Sowders), our new coaches have a lot to do with that," Pittman said. "We've got a lot of good kids on our team that are working extremely hard. It would be hard to be more pleased.
"In other words, I guess, and it will happen I'm sure, we talk about the portal and who might go in. Kids go in for different reasons and all that kind of stuff. I just don't feel like there will be a mass exit or possibly any. I feel pretty good about where we're at there."
Making so many changes — especially such big changes to the roster and staff — can be tough to adjust to for team. For Arkansas, it almost seems like it weeded out the people that weren't bought in and brought in new faces that wanted to be part of something special.
"I like where the culture of the team is," Pittman said. "I do, and I think you can feel it at practice...I'm happy where we are. It wasn't near as bad as what everybody thought it was. Wasn't as good ever as I think it is. Somewhere in between. But I feel real confident with this football team. I really do. I like them."
The Razorbacks have two more practices ahead of Saturday's Red-White game at Reynolds Razorback Stadium. The game will begin at noon CT and it will be streamed on the SEC Network+ and ESPN+.